I Know This Story
by greys.endoftheworld
Summary: Ben Warren is in a funk, career-wise and in his marriage to Miranda Bailey. This is his version of how he overcame his troubles. There is dialogue from 12.24. This was requested and I hope you all like it as much as I liked writing it! Thanks for the love, everyone!
1. Here We Go

**Here We Go**

They were at it again. Every morning before she left for work, Ben Warren found himself arguing with his wife. Miranda Bailey was the most stunning and intelligent person he'd ever known which is why he married her, locked her down with a ring and promises of forever. But damn it if she didn't make him want to strangle her from time to time. "You don't think four months is long enough for me to learn my lesson?" He asked her as she struggled to put on her jacket. The gentleman in him wanted to help her as he often did which usually led to at least a passionate make out session if not a quickie in their foyer. But neither one of them were in the mood to kiss the other. He touched his temple.

"On a six-month suspension?" She turned to look him in his eyes. "No, I don't."

Ben looked away. Her eyes were piercing and it was best not to even continue the conversation. He put his hands on his hips and let her talk. It was her favorite pastime. "If you think a scheduling glitch will suddenly make me trust you again in an OR—"

"Wait. 'Trust me'?" He repeated. She didn't trust him? His heart sank. Did she really feel that way? Trust him to do what? Be a surgeon or a father or a husband—"What do you mean 'trust me'?" Miranda didn't answer as Ben walked toward her. She continued to the door with him on her heels. Was she really going to just drop that bomb and walk away? "…but you don't trust me with patients?"

She finally turned around, sighing. "It was a grave error in judgment."

"And you're gonna trust me again in two more months?" The comment came off sarcastically and he wanted to take it back, but it was already out there. "That's what it will take?" Silence. He raised his eyebrows, trying to be patient. He waited. They'd been married for nearly four years and they knew each other so well. Sometimes she was able to read his mind before he even opened his mouth, answering a question that he hadn't even formed yet. And, other times, he was able to look at her face and see what direction her mood was going and either meet her there or take cover. But… nothing. Her face gave him nothing but the feeling of discontent and disappointment. "Miranda, should I be here at all?" Ben asked his wife. He held his breath and waited. He was actually afraid of what she'd say, afraid maybe her answer would rock his world. Even more than his suspension had; he was a surgeon and had been placed on suspension after a crucial error. He was glad that at least he'd found a way back into the OR by returning to his previous job as an Attending Anesthesiologist, the original direction of his career. And his wife, the Chief of Surgery, was definitely not happy about that, advising her department heads to obstruct him from being in their OR, but he'd prevailed—sort of. He was just glad that he was able to learn and earn a living. But four months without performing surgery was driving him beyond insane. Ever since he'd applied to become a surgical resident, it was all he wanted to do. That and make his family happy.

Ben waited for her response and was thrown to hear her say: "I'll see you at the wedding."

"'I'll see you at the wedding'," Ben said into the phone shaking his head and readjusting himself.

"That's it? That was all she said?" Ben's sister, Rosalind, said. Ben had called her right after Miranda had left the house. Well, not right after. He wallowed in his anger a bit before picking up the phone and making the call to his sister who was four years younger than he was. Even now it was odd calling his brother's number and hearing his voice, only to remember after a second that his brother didn't exist anymore. Rosalind was transgender and while Ben was supportive and happy that she was happy, it was still new and it still shocked him. He'd tried explaining to Miranda once, but he had just ended up sounding ignorant and exactly like a caveman. And she'd called him out on his bullshit. Eventually, he was able to get her to understand his feelings. That was the thing about Miranda, she could rip you a new one, but she was also a great listener. She was his best friend. And it sucked that he couldn't talk to his best friend about his issues with his wife. "That's all she said?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"What do you think that means?"

"Ros, I don't know. I mean…," he sighed. "I just don't know." Ben shrugged his shoulders and put her on speakerphone as he finished folding the sheets and comforter that he'd used last night. Every night he slept on the sofa in their living room was putting strain on his back and on his marriage with Miranda. He understood that he needed to discipline him at work. She was the Chief of Surgery after all. He sighed. That used to be a whole other thing. Miranda becoming Chief was an amazing day, an amazing journey and he was happy to share it with her, but it had been tough that his boss was becoming not only his actual boss, but his boss' boss. And just when he'd gotten over his ego and accepted it, _this_ happened. The thing. His mistake, his _one_ mistake, his only mistake. It had not only resurfaced the issue of power in their relationship, but pushed him and Miranda further apart. So, it seemed like, for the last couple of months, she, the Chief, his wife, was doing more than just disciplining him, it felt like she was punishing him and it was pissing him off. He stuffed the sofa with the cushions that he'd removed to give himself some more room, but it hadn't been nearly enough. He was six feet and weighed nearly two hundred pounds, so he damn sure needed more than thirty inches of sleeping space. He needed to be in the custom-made bed he and Miranda had purchased two years ago instead of putting a big ass dent in their living room sofa. "Shit!"

"What, Benji?" The concern in Rosalind's voice floated to his ears and brought him back to the present.

"Nothing. I'm just mad."

"You should be, but, to be fair, you did screw up."

"Don't you start."

"Well… "

"Well?"

"You're angry."

"What do you think?"

"I think that you need to get laid. Still no sex?" She chuckled, mocking him.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ben grumbled. He told his sister he'd call her back and shoved his phone into his pajama pants pockets. He took the sheets and covers up the stairs to the linen closet.

Ben peeked his head into Tuck's room and looked around quickly. One of Tuck's asthma pumps was on his dresser. Ben shook his head and hoped that it was the extra one. He picked up the pump and searched for the "2" that he'd written on it to help distinguish the extra from the one Tuck carried in his book bag. It was there. He breathed a sigh of relief, Tuck used the pump nearly once a week and with Miranda on edge about everything, now wasn't the time their son to be without it. Ben headed to the master bedroom that he shared with wife. It was the largest room in their five-bedroom house. He pushed the door open and walked into their bedroom, _her_ bedroom. He didn't sleep in there anymore. Now he just used it to shower and to change his clothes; it was basically his locker room. If he didn't think he'd want to kick his own ass, he could have cried. Ben paced inside of the large room, eyeing everything like he was a visitor in a museum. Miranda's bra lay across the back of the chair that was in the corner of the chair. He scoffed and jumped into the shower. Stepping out of the shower and onto the warm bathroom rug, he wrapped a towel around the bottom half of his wet body and went to his closet. Reaching into his closet, he pulled out a crisp, long-sleeved dress shirt. Miranda had ironed it. Maybe she wasn't all that furious with him. A smile stayed on his face as he got dressed and headed to the church.


	2. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

**I Don't Want to Miss a Thing**

Amelia Shepherd and Owen Hunt were getting married. Truth be told, he wasn't close with either one of them. They were just his colleagues; he'd once built a deck with Owen and some of the other guys from the hospital. That had been frustrating, especially since he'd been broken up with Miranda during that time. But by all unspoken and unwritten rules of Grey Sloan Memorial, they were all some kind of large, dysfunctional family. He drove through the rain until he got to the beautiful, old chapel. There were a few people there already, but Ben paced back and forth on the porch wrapped around the building waiting for Miranda. He'd tried calling her and texting her and had received no response. That's just how it was these days; they ignored each other phone calls or text messages even when they weren't busy. He never did it intentionally, it just happened sometimes. He would see she'd texted and if it wasn't pertinent, he'd push it to the back of his mind; only replying when he remembered again. Ben was just about to leave Miranda another message when he was grabbed up by April Kepner, a Trauma surgeon, and one of his old colleagues from Mercy West, the hospital that'd merged with Seattle Grace, eventually becoming Grey Sloan. They'd come over with a fellow surgeon, Jackson Avery, April's ex-husband and Ben's best friend. "Do you have a car?" The redhead asked, breathing heavily. Ben didn't even know why she was out and about, she should be somewhere with her feet up. She was pregnant and her baby was due soon.

"Why?" He said.

"Do you have a car!?" She repeated.

"Yes. Why?"

"I left the damn rings at Meredith's house. Can you drive me over there?" Before he could respond, she was pulling him by the arm through the rain. "I left the rings…I don't remember where I left the rings." They were at Meredith's house and while April moved from room to room, Ben followed her aimlessly.

"Well, uh, they say if you think out loud while you're looking for something, you find it faster," he said leaning against a door.

"Who says?" She asked him.

"Scientists…who lose things." They smiled at each other.

"Okay. Okay. All right. I remember there was one point that I went upstairs." April doubled over, grabbing onto his arm a bit.

"You okay?" Ben asked.

"Yep. I'm fine," she said in a rushed voice. "Uh, I went upstairs and Amelia was in the bathroom—"

Ben made himself comfortable on a chair as April roamed around the house. He crossed his legs and began another message to his wife who'd miraculously responded to one of his other ones. A loud sigh from April caught his attention. He ran into the kitchen. "W-what? What? Are you alright?"

"Found it!" April said smiling.

Ben rolled his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. One of the last things he wanted was for the woman to go into labor a few miles away from the hospital. "Alright, let's get out of here."

"Okay," she said taking a few steps in his direction. "Ow." Ben watched her slow down and grab onto a chair.

"You're having contractions," he said walking over to her.

"No, Braxton-Hicks all day. Ben, I'm fine," she said trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him.

"Mmhmm. C'mon, sit down."

"We gotta get these rings over to Owen—"

"Kepner, Kepner, have a seat." He helped her ease into a chair.

"Okay, sitting sounds good," she sighed, relaxing.

After a few minutes, he said: "Maybe we should move to the sofa. It's more comfortable." She just nodded as he guided her to Meredith's long, blue sofa.

Ben looked at his watch, counting the seconds before he heard April groan again. "Okay, okay. See, th-that one came a lot faster. They're… they're a lot closer together now. Maybe we should take this party on to the hospital."

The woman grabbed his shoulder tightly. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, w-wait, Ben. Wait, wait, wait." Ben took a breath and did as he was told. "I don't—I don't want to have this baby in your car."

"Neither do I. We're going to the hospital."

"No. No. No. Hey!" She leaned back, spreading her legs apart. "Okay, but figure my contractions are closer together plus traffic plus the rain plus, uh, I don't know, a tree in the road?"

Ben couldn't believe what he was hearing. He raised his eyebrows and tried to follow April's babbling. "What? You're saying that you—"

"I'm saying that between your car and this house with heat, running water, blankets, um, I'll stay here." She nodded satisfactorily. "Yeah, I'm gonna have this baby right here."

"April, no," Ben said trying to sound authoritative.

"Ben, come on. It's having a baby at home. People have done it in caves," she argued. "My mom did it once in a barn, I think. We can do this."

"We should just get in the car," he tried to reason. Every fiber in him wanted to pick this woman up and put her into his car and race across town to the hospital. April's groaning got louder. He didn't know if she was being dramatic or if she was really in pain, but it scared him enough to give in. "Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. But you know what? I'm gonna call an ambulance, though. Get us some help." Kepner stood up and grabbed onto him as he pulled out his phone dialing 911.

"I'm gonna have a baby."

"You're gonna have a baby," he echoed.

"On Meredith's rug," she said with strained giddiness.

"Right on Meredith's rug," he said mustering up a reassuring smile.

Ben tried to appear unruffled, but he was flipping out. The situation was completely different, but April about to give birth and him being the only option, reminded him so much of Gretchen McKay. Remembering that name always made his eyes ache. Gretchen had been his one mistake. She had been in a car accident with her three children and her husband. The children were okay, just one missing a tooth, but her husband, Omar, had been rushed into surgery. Ben and his intern had been transporting Gretchen to an OR and waiting for the elevator when the alarm for a lockdown had gone off, keeping them trapped in the hallway. The doors closed shut with no way to open them or to get her to an OR. The woman's heart rate dropped and the intern couldn't find a heartbeat on the baby. He had to cut her open. She'd been dying, going into labor and Ben had no other alternative. He had to. And to do that, she made him promise— _Save the baby over me, okay? Please._ He didn't feel like he had a choice when he silently agreed. Just before the scalpel hit her skin, the elevator doors opened. He glanced at the moving doors before skating the blade over Gretchen's stomach. Everything afterward had been a mess. Because he saw them open. Clearly. There was a recording, proof, but—he hadn't seen them open. It just never registered. He'd been determined to save both Gretchen and the baby. Sometimes when he was it was completely quiet, especially at night, Ben would hear the pregnant woman begging him. It rang in his ears. _Please._ So he'd made the cut and rescued the baby with Gretchen bleeding out onto the floor and the baby barely breathing. Some days he wished that he'd succeeded and saved them both or at least one of them; maybe things wouldn't have to be so damn bad. But he'd failed at both tasks. And the backlash from the incident had been hard on his surgical career and his life. Ben texted and called Miranda and Jackson to let them know the situation.

April leaned against the wall of the living room, pounding on it. He touched her back, trying to soothe her. "Uh, I wish I had an epidural for you."

"Don't need it," she said. "I am conquering the pain with my mind."

"You weren't kidding," he chuckled. "You know how to have a baby."

"Okay, Ben, um, maybe go wash your hands, 'cause I need you to give me an exam because my water just broke," April said calmly.

"Okay. Okay," he said taking off for the kitchen.

She exhaled loudly. "You're probably gonna see my vagina, which might be weird."

He came back into the living room. "Yeah, but, uh, you know, I'm a doctor, so you know, it's all good." He flashed an encouraging smile. He had to keep her calm so that he would stay calm. The moment either one of them lost their cool, the other would lose their shit.

"Okay," April said moving back to the sofa. Ben pulled a chair up between her legs and rubbed sanitizer on his hands as she put her feet on either side of him, locking him in this decision. It was time.

He went into doctor mode: "Okay, you just relax, all right? You know the drill." Four months. And the only thing he'd done was put people to sleep for surgeries or supervised his residents. Maybe there was a time he'd get to do something fascinating, but he was an anesthesiologist when he really wanted to be a surgeon. "You're gonna feel my hand…"

April breathed heavily and rolled her eyes back as Ben felt around and it dawned on him what he was feeling. "Okay, Warren, let's wrap it up. "

"Sorry, I just…I-I can't… I don't know what I'm—" _Breathe,_ he told himself.

"Come on. You've done a pelvic before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, plenty…," His mind grinned as he thought about the only pelvic he really wanted to be touching right now. The last time he and Miranda had sex, it seemed like it had been forever since they'd even touched each other. A month ago, she'd come down the stairs at four in the morning and stood over him, silently. Ben had felt her presence and jumped. "This is it. You're gonna kill me, aren't you? Can I at least say 'bye' to Tuck first?" Miranda had smiled; that had been a good sign. He laughed nervously. "Baby, is something the matter?" He'd asked sitting up. She'd sat next to him and leaned against his shirtless chest. He'd put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Everything okay?" The only answer he had received was her lips on his. She'd thrown her arms around his neck, knocking him back suddenly. "Miranda?" Her fingers had found his lips, shushing him. "Church?" He asked as she nodded. A few months back, they'd been fighting so much, jumping on each other about every little thing. He'd decided that they needed space within their relationship where they could communicate properly. To them, "Church" and "State" meant separating their professional lives from their personal ones. _State_ involved the careers of Dr. Warren and Chief Bailey. _Church_ was the marriage and friendship of Ben and Miranda. He stroked her head, his fingers running through her curls. He'd grabbed her face and kissed her again. They hadn't shared a kiss like that in weeks. His tongue moved around in her mouth, familiarizing itself. Her long t-shirt hit the floor revealing a bra-less wonderment. Ben gave himself permission to play with her breasts. If he was being honest, they were two of his favorite parts of her body. They fell into his mouth and she moaned softly. Her nails dug into his skin, scratching him. Ben had pushed down her shorts, knocking them to the floor on top of her shirt and releasing himself from his pajama pants. He pulled her hair a little as he turned them over and slid into her. Moisture hit his chest and he asked if she wanted to stop.

"No." Ben stroked her slowly, giving her every inch that he had. She breathed heavily, not calling out his name or His name or shouting expletives like she usually did. He knew she was still mad at him and it pissed him off and turned him on at the same time. Even while she was upset, she still wanted him. And he felt the same way. Ben sped up, feeling every bit of her on him. Both of them avoided eye contact, not daring to look at the other. If her brown eyes landed on his while they were making love, it would be like she'd lost their four-month argument. If his brown eyes met hers, he'd be admitting that'd been wrong about what he'd done in the hallway. And he wasn't sure that he was. Soon, they were rocking together, reaching their climaxes softly and sweating profusely, sticking to the sofa. He held on to her, staying inside of her and caressing her face. He'd placed kisses all over her face. Miranda loosened her hold on his back.

"I love you, Miranda."

"I love you, too," she said.

"Baby, I—"

She'd cut him off by giving him one last kiss before she grabbed her shirt. "State." She slipped it over her head and leaving the room, picking up her shorts and moving up the stairs. Ben pulled his pants up and balled up his face and fists. He still wasn't completely down from his sexual high and the one thing that he wanted was Miranda by his side. He got up and walked up the stairs and stood outside of the door. He heard her sniffle and sob softly. What in the hell had he done? "…but th-this doesn't feel right."

"Don't tell me it doesn't feel right," April shouted. "It's my freaking cervix. Just check how dilated it is and get out of my va—"

"April, April, it's a foot. I feel a foot."

"No," she said as the color drained from her face.

"It's a breech," Ben confirmed. "It's a footling breech."

"Okay," she breathed, grabbing the pillows behind her head. "Okay."

"And I feel a cord."

"What?" She said starting to panic. "No. No. Is there… is there a pulse?" He felt around some more everything felt wet and squishy and this was not how this was supposed to go. He closed his eyes for a second and did his job as if he were back at Grey Sloan in OR 2, his favorite one, the one in which he'd proposed to Miranda. "Answer me!"

"I… don't think so. No," he took his hands out and washed them in the bucket of water next to his chair.

"So my baby's gonna die?"

"No." Ben shook his head confidently. "No, April. No. No, it just means that it's not getting all the blood that it could be and that-that we have to get the baby out as fast as possible so we can get the pressure off the cord," he told her. His voice was strong and certain.

She breathed deeply. "Okay." More breaths. "So I need a C-section as soon as possible."

"Yes. Yes."

"Okay. So," she said with tears working their way out of the side of her eyes. "The light is better in the kitchen."

"What?" He said confused. Kitchen...? Light…? Maybe she was starting to lose consciousness. He followed her gaze. "Wait. Wait, wait. No. No. No. I'm not giving you a C-section," he said adamantly. April pulled at her dress. "Look, there's an ambulance coming."

She sat up and stared at him. "Ben, we both know it doesn't matter."

"I'm not doing it. I can't." His confession had been the most honest thing he'd said in a long time. Losing Gretchen and her baby had been the worst moment of his life. If he lost April or her baby, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. "W-w-w-we'll get you to the hospital," he stammered.

She continued to persuade him: "My baby is dying, its blood supply is cut off, and it's going to die."

He got up and ran to the door throwing it open. "There is an ambulance coming!"

"Ben! Ben! Even if they were here now, they can't help me. You can," she said yelling at him.

"It's coming! It's coming!" He said at the precipice of losing his entire chill. He ran out onto the porch and tried looking through the pouring rain. He could barely see the house across the street, never mind an ambulance. His breathing had become just as rapid as April's and he wasn't the one about to push a baby out of his body. His mind flashed to another time that he'd watched someone give birth. He was four and his mother had gone into labor while they'd been watching "Wheel of Fortune". She'd rubbed his back, calming him down as he dialed 911 for the first time in his life. While he did that, his mother gripped his hand as she breathed loudly. The sounds would have scared him if not for the distraction of the huge, spinning wheel on the TV. Just as the ambulance came, his little brother, who would grow up to be his sister, popped out. So easily and flawlessly. Ben remembered touching the tiny hands of the newborn and introducing himself. Nothing compared to today. April's moans of pain brought him back. He looked inside of the house at the woman in labor and promptly turned away. "Come on," he begged. He looked for one more second, taking a deep breath of Seattle air as he slapped the side of the threshold with his hand and closed the door behind him. "Damn it!" Ben helped April move to the top of the kitchen table. He called his wife and prayed that she would answer. "Please answer."

"Why wouldn't she answer?" April said.

"We… I…," he started. He heard Miranda pick up and his heart raced. "Miranda?"

"Okay, I know, Ben. I know. I'm coming. I got h—," she said.

"Chief," he said cutting her off. "Did you see any of my messages?"

"No, I didn't," she answered. He heard the truth in her voice and nodded. "I was in surgery."

"We're at Grey's house. K-Kepner went into labor."

"What?"

"I called for an ambulance, but it's pouring and they're not here and…so, she wants me to do a C-section on her."

"Oh, Ben…"

"And—" He walked quickly out of the room.

"There's more?" She asked. He exhaled loudly. "Warren, what is it?"

"I gave her a pelvic exam and it's a footling breech and I felt a cord and I've never dealt with one of these before. Miranda…" He stopped talking and fingered his wedding band.

"Ben?"

"Miranda," he said again, his voice near frantic. "They won't be here in time. I'm… it's… I'm in way over my head it seems and I—"

"Okay. Stop," Miranda said going into her Chief-ly mode. He loved it when she took charge; it never failed to turn him on. "Stay on the line. I'm going to get Robbins and we will walk you through this. We will get through this."

"Okay."

"Stay on the line."

Ben walked back into the kitchen and put a towel under April's head. He held his friends' head. "All right, now, listen. There's no anesthesia. Ice is all we got. So the pain's g—the pain's gonna be bad." He lifted her dress, putting a towel over her body so that nothing extra was revealed; he'd seen enough already.

"Right, so you're going to rotate the baby in utero face down," Arizona said giving him a heads up of what he was about to experience.

"But…," he started.

"No, I know. The position will look different than you've seen."

"Is she okay?" Jackson asked coming onto the phone. Ben knew his emotions must have been at their highest level. If the roles were reversed, Ben's blood pressure would have been in the 200s. "April! Hey! Can she hear me?" Ben gave her a cold compress to put on her stomach, hopefully to numb some of the oncoming pain and grabbed his phone and put it next to April's head as he rushed around looking for a miracle. He was a God-fearing, praying man, but he didn't yet know why he was being tested like this. A duplicate situation where the outcome could potentially be the same was a nightmare.

"Jackson!" April called out.

"Okay, I'm right here. I'm right here," he answered.

"Okay, okay, okay," April muttered.

Ben went into a pantry near the kitchen and searched the shelves. "Ha! Jackpot!" He screamed setting his eyes on a small leather medical bag. Maybe this wouldn't be so damn bad.

"What?" April asked, panting.

"It's an old medical bag. It must've been her mom's." He walked toward the light and opened it. The sound of April groaning blended in with the ancient zipper opening. "There's some gauze and—" He shouted with pure glee as he pulled out a scalpel. He uncovered it to find that it was blood-stained. Disappointment spread on his face.

"And some lidocaine?" She asked.

"No."

"Hey, Warren, what do you have to pack her with?" Arizona asked.

Ben took one last sweeping look around. "Uh, dish towels." He hated saying that out loud because it sounded foolish and everything he did lately seemed to be foolish. Ben touched April's stomach. "Okay," he said running his nails along her skin, several inches below her bellybutton. "Can you feel that?"

"Yeah," she said. Her breaths got heavier with each second. "Okay, Ben, I need you to promise me something, okay?"

"Yeah," he said out of habit.

"If you feel like you're gonna lose me—if I'm bleeding out, you—"

"No," he said quickly, already aware of where the conversation was heading. He doused his tools and her stomach with hand sanitizer.

"You make sure that this baby is okay."

"Oh, no, no, no," Jackson said jumping back into the conversation. "April do not—Ben, don't listen to her, okay? You save her. You save both of them."

April grabbed his hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. "You promise me that you will save this baby, no matter what." He didn't answer. "Ben, okay!?" He stared at April as the voices kept coming at him.

"Warren, you have got this," Arizona said calmly. "You have got them both."

"Ben, please. Okay, please," his best friend pleaded. He wouldn't be able to look him in eye if anything went wrong.

"Okay!?" April said weeping.

Every sound was putting him on edge. The voices. The rain. The thunder. April's moaning. The clocks ticking. It was too much and he'd had enough. "Everybody, just quiet! Please!" Ben shouted. He picked up the phone and walked toward the sink, trying to take deep breaths. "Miranda?" He said hoping that she hadn't left the conversation just when he needed her the most.

"Yes?" She asked patiently. The only voice he wanted to hear. Her cadence instantly soothed him and refocused his mind. That's what she did for him. She was other half and she always there for him, protecting him, giving him exactly what he needed; whether it was a kick in the ass or a hug and kiss.

"I want to do this, all right?" He watched the raindrops race down one of the windows. "I-I have to do this, all right?" He looked over at April who was praying silently.

"I know," she said. "Ben, w—d-don't hang up." His heart was pounding in his chest. If he didn't relax, he for sure would have a heart attack. "I trust you," she said.

With a short nod, Ben tossed the phone on the counter, put more sanitizer on his hands and walked toward April confidently. This kitchen was his OR and after four months of being benched, he was suiting up and getting thrust back into the game. He picked up the knife that he was using as a scalpel and looked at April, their breathing identical. His eyes asked if she was ready. She gave a nod and held onto the sides of the table. "Okay. Okay."

Ben had never broken any bones or had to have surgery or had even been in a real fight. So the closest pain to April's that he'd ever experienced for himself was when he, Rosalind and their older sister, Angela, had all decided to get matching tattoos a few years ago. After nearly an hour of debating, they'd all decided on arrows. They would each get five arrows, each one representing a member of their immediate family: mother, father and three children. Everyone came up with their own meaning behind their arrows as they rotated in and out of the chair. For Ben, the arrows meant strength. A bundle of arrows was harder to break than just one. His family was tight like that; they always had each other's back. Ben remembered when he couldn't wait until he had a family of his own. At the time they'd decided to get them, there were only five arrows to get. Three years later, Angela had a baby girl and they all met up at the parlor to get a smaller arrow added. The week after their honeymoon, Ben schlepped back to the parlor alone and got two more arrows added on his back, one for his wife and one for their son. It'd taken a while for Miranda to realize that the number of arrows on his back had grown and to understand why there were not one but two additional arrows. He watched her figure it out and counted the seconds in his head until the tears started to fall. _One, two, three, f—_ "You didn't have to," she had said trying to wipe her face dry.

"I know I didn't," he'd told her. "I wanted to."

She'd run her fingers over them. "They're beautiful." He'd held her and smiled.

"And if you get a little closer, you will see our wedding date between our crossed arrows." Ben could feel her fingers touching her arrow which intersected his. In his mind, it symbolized their unbreakable bond as husband and wife and their true friendship. Her lips touched his back, kissing a trail down his spine making him shudder. He turned around and kissed her softly and passionately.

"Just amazing." They'd kissed again. "Did it hurt?"

"Like the dickens," he'd laughed holding her.

Each arrow had brought him some pain, but it was rainbows and sunshine compared to what April was feeling. She had no anesthesia and was about to be cut open with a kitchen knife. Kepner was legit a badass. Ben inhaled and put the knife to her skin, cutting the surface. April let out a scream, the likes of which he never wanted to hear again in his whole life.

"AAAAAAOOOOOHHHHHHHWWWWWW!"" She yelled.

"Okay, April," Jackson said. "What's happening?"

Ben had to ignore him. He worked furiously. April passed out and Ben was glad for that. He mentally walked himself through the C-Section, listening for Arizona's voice occasionally. His brain was in overdrive. He worked on April and calmed himself by thinking about Miranda's restored faith in him. That gave him so much confidence that he didn't even notice that he'd gone completely and literally solo in Grey's kitchen. There were no nurses, no extra hands, no anesthesiologist, he was alone and he'd been okay. By the time he pulled the baby from April's womb and had started to pack her, the ambulance pulled up and was rushing into the house.

Everything after that was a blur. A whirlwind of semi-familiar voices, sirens and a whimpering baby. He was back to being second string and for the first time in a long time, he was glad. They took the baby and cleaned her off, giving her back to Ben who held her tightly. It was funny; the first person the little girl saw as she entered the world was Ben. Just like Rosalind.


	3. Something Good Can Work

**Something Good Can Work**

Ben sat in the back of the ambulance and watched as Jackson and Miranda rolled an oxygenated April into the hospital. He stepped out of the truck easily with a warming blanket wrapped around him with the baby in his arms. Ben smiled as he looked down at the girl. She was so small and new and so beautiful. He walked into the hospital and took the baby to the NICU. After he showered and changed into his scrubs, he headed off to find Miranda. Instead, he found Jackson, sitting on an empty bed outside of the ORS and cradling his newborn daughter in his arms. Ben sat next to them, not speaking. He didn't know what to say or where to begin. He inhaled sharply. "I tried my best," he said, his voice steady. He wasn't trying to apologize because he hadn't done anything wrong. But he was trying to put his friend at ease. Ben knew that although Jackson and April were divorced, they loved each other very much. "Please know that if I could've done more—"

"I know," Jackson said cutting him off. "I do." Ben bit his bottom lip. They couldn't do anything but wait.

After several long minutes, Jackson spoke breaking the silence. "Ben, uh, April and I…" He cleared his throat. "We'd discussed this earlier and, um, we would love for you to be the baby's godfather."

A smile moved across his face. "You don't have to…"

"No, no, no, we were thinking about it—way before. April wanted to tell you weeks ago, but I told her that I needed to be the one to do it and I didn't. And then I forgot. Totally slipped my mind." Ben shook his head, smiling. "So, will you? Please say yes, so April won't be disappointed and mad at me. Oh. And please pretend that I asked you weeks ago." Ben chuckled. "Look, you're my best friend and I'd love for you to be my daughter's godfather. Plus, I want to thank you for today. Whatever happens." Both men were quiet.

Ben had never been asked to be anyone's godparent. It was quite an honor. He held out his hand. "Yes, of course, brother." Jackson shook Ben's outstretched hand. "Of course."

"Ahh, thank you, man." Ben looked at him. "Want to hold your goddaughter?" Jackson handed Ben the baby.

"What exactly does a godparent do?" Ben asked as he looked down at her and smiled widely as the baby sneezed. She was so gorgeous.

"I don't know. I think they… I mean, I guess you would take over if something were to happen to both April and I."

Ben scratched his head. It was almost overwhelming, but he loved that feeling. A feeling of total responsibility. It was one of the reasons why he loved being a surgeon. "Okay then." They laughed and shook hands again. Ben looked up and saw Miranda coming down the hall. He couldn't read her face. Was it good news or bad news? _Please be good news_ , he thought.

"She's stable, Miranda said with a small smile of her own. Both Ben and Jackson let go of their breaths simultaneously. Jackson leaned forward, relaxed. Ben sat back, at peace. Finally he'd done something right. "Yeah, uh, Robbins is closing." Miranda looked down at the baby in Ben's arms. Before _the incident_ rocked their worlds, there was talk about maybe trying for a baby of their own or possibly even adopting. The way Miranda looked at the baby, Ben couldn't imagine that she wasn't thinking about having one of her own. He was. Tuck was Miranda's son from her previous marriage, but the way Ben loved the boy was nothing less than fatherly. And although he was satisfied with the dynamic of the house, a baby was an amazing gift and choice, one that he wanted to take on. "Oh, your baby girl has a very strong mother." Jackson agreed. Miranda smiled brightly and Ben stared at her and the baby with admiration, trying to conceal a smile of his own. His wife or his Chief, he couldn't tell which one, looked at him. Either way, Ben knew that look well. She lowered her voice and her eyes: "Dr. Warren." The Chief. He watched her walk across the hall and handed the sleeping baby back to her father. Ben's legs felt like jelly as he followed her slowly. He was just going to listen. If he was going to get scolded, he didn't want to say anything that might upset her more. He licked his lips a little. "Dr. Robbins tells me that you showed superb technique under trying conditions." Ben straightened his spine and looked down at someone who was trying to be his Chief, but who was failing. The pride in her eyes was undeniable and he heard her voice crack and saw her eyes water. "She said you saved two lives today." Ben looked at one of them, asleep in her father's arms. And thought about the other one who would be just fine. A lump in Ben's throat prevented him from responding. Miranda put her hands together and clapped before throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him in. Ben's hand smoothed her back, mashing their bodies together. His face was cradled in her neck, just how he liked it. They held each other tightly. Honestly, they were long overdue for that kind of hug. The kind where they never wanted to let go. The kind that was better than kissing and _almost_ as good as sex. They were each saying so much without saying anything at all. Just like when he'd followed her up the stairs after their impulsive lovemaking session. She'd eyed him as he walked into the room, made his way around the bed and got into it behind her. They were both still half-naked. But it wasn't about sex. She was crying and he was probably the reason. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he was already pushing it by being in the bed. Baby steps. Ben didn't speak; he stroked Miranda's hair and hand, his fingers touching her wedding ring. He just held her, putting his strong arms around her body, closing the gap between them just the way she liked. She melted into him, becoming relaxed and he exhaled. Ben wanted to whisper in her ear and tell her it would all be okay. But who was he to make promises like that? He'd seen marriages go up in flames and disintegrate into nothing. And while he didn't ever think that could happen with him and Miranda—So he just kissed the back of her head. "You are just so amazing, Ben Warren," Miranda's voice said bringing him back to his current present. "I am so proud of you."


	4. Natural High

**Natural High**

Tired is what he would have been after eighteen hours at the hospital. Exhausted was how he felt after performing an emergency C-section and delivering April's baby. After Miranda was paged to her office and Jackson left to check on April, Ben searched for an on-call room. It took four tries before he found one that had a bed for him to sleep in. He looked at the top of the bunked beds to see an intern snoring loudly. Ben rolled onto the bottom bunk and ran his fingers over his head. Today had been a day. It had been stressful and that was before he'd even gotten to Grey's house. He smiled a little which turned into full on laughter. He was so tired and that made the whole ordeal that much funnier. The intern roused and looked down. Seeing that it was him, he cleared his throat and left the room with a respectful nod. A knock on the door and the turning of the knob revealed Miranda. "Want to go home?" She asked. "Let me take you home." She walked toward the bed and sat next to him.

Ben closed his eyes and said: "I can move over some."

She shook her head. "Your car is still at Grey's house, right?"

"I'm okay," he said. "I was just going to lie here for a while, maybe a few years." '

She laughed. "No, see, I want us to go home and get into our own bed."

" _Us?_ " He said not sure that he had heard her correctly.

"Yes, _us_. You and me. Ben and Miranda. Husband and wife. The way it should be."

"The way it should be," Ben repeated smiling into the darkness.

"Let's go home," she said as he kissed her back, making her shudder.


	5. I Know This Story

**I Know This Story**

After his shower, Ben fell into bed beside his wife. For the first time in weeks. Miranda moved toward him and put her arms around his body. He kissed her hands and fell asleep in her arms.

He woke up and looked over at his wife who was reading the newspaper. "I had the wildest dream," he told her.

"Did Kepner give birth in it?" She asked pulling off her glasses. She put them on the table.

"Yeah?" Had he told her about that dream before?

She chuckled. "That wasn't a dream. April Kepner had a baby on Meredith Grey's kitchen table. And you were the one who opened her up."

Ben groaned remembering April's scream. "And she's okay, right? Because she was okay in the dream."

"She's fine. They're both going to be just fine."

He took a deep breath. "Good."

"Because you acted quickly and wonderfully and admirably and brilliantly." Miranda rolled over to him and kissed his cheek.

"And you said you trusted me."

"I did," she said stretching the phrase out. Ben cleared his throat.

When she did that, she was usually holding back on something. He prompted her: "Did you mean it or were you just saying it to get me through the pressure?" Once again he found himself waiting for an answer to a question he probably shouldn't have asked.

"Benjamin Warren, you know me better than that."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, baby," she said moving to him. "I do. I trust you." They were quiet for a long time. There was a lot he wanted to say, but he also wanted to sleep. He closed his eyes as she asked him about breakfast.

"Maybe later." He yawned and the next thing he knew, he was dreaming again. He was just about to cut April open when she asked him to save the baby over her. Only when she asked, she was Gretchen and they weren't in Grey's kitchen, but the locked hallway. "I'll save you both," he said. "All four of you. I'll save you," he said waking up. The bedroom was empty. Ben glanced out of the window, the sky was dark. He got out of the bed and took another shower, trying to wash off the regret of saving April and her baby and losing Gretchen and hers. Wandering around the house he saw that Miranda was gone, but Tuck was in the living room watching cartoons and playing on his phone. "Hey, Tuck."

"Hey, Ben."

"Where's mom?"

"She went to the hospital to check on April," the boy said not looking up from his game.

Ben sat next to the boy and picked up the remote. "How was sc—"

"Did you really cut her open with a knife?" Tuck asked looking at him wide-eyed, his mother's eyes. He looked so much like Miranda, it was so crazy.

"W-w-what? Who?"

"You and April!"

"Who said that?"

"Mommy when she was talking to Uncle Richard."

"Y-yeah, well..."

"Was there blood everywhere?" Somehow Tuck's eyes got bigger and Ben reveled in the attention that he was getting from the boy. He and Tuck had a good relationship and their conversations were some of his favorites.

"All over the place," Ben answered, waving his hands and making a face to dramatize the situation. "Ceiling, my clothes, the refrigerator."

"Wow! She's going to be okay?"

"I'm praying so, bud." Ben rubbed the kid's head and tickled him.

"I'm home!" Miranda yelled coming through the door. She walked to the kitchen and back to the living room.

"Hey, mommy! There was blood everywhere! April's blood. All over Ben and on the ceiling, everywhere."

She cocked her head to the side and stared at Ben who just shrugged. "Well, you sir, go and get your bag ready. Your dad will be here in like five minutes."

"Yes, ma'am!" He said saluting her and running up the stairs.

"Blood everywhere, Ben?"

The man had to laugh. "He asked." Once they'd seen Tuck off with his dad, Ben closed the door and grabbed Miranda's hand and guided her to the sofa. He sat her down and looked her in the eyes. "I am so…hungry. So hungry. Can we eat?"

She shoved his arm. "Jerk!"

"What? What'd you think I was going to say?" He asked, laughter spilling out of him. She cracked a smile, too. And soon they were both giggling like teenagers. They hadn't been this Ben and Miranda in a very long time.

Her hand fell on his knee. "C'mon, I brought you something to eat."

Inside of the kitchen, Ben washed his hands and sat down. "Smells like my favorite thing."

"After the day you had, you deserve whatever you want," she said touching his head.

"Whatever I want?" Ben wiggled his eyebrows.

"Don't be nasty," she said putting a plate in front of him. "Now, this is only because you were put in a high-pressure situation and you passed with flying colors. Otherwise, I would not have gotten this greasy, potato-filled, coma-inducing, artery-clogging food."

"Give it to me, woman!" She put the roll of aluminum foil on his plate. Inside was an Italian hotdog, loaded with onions, peppers and his favorite condiments. He sniffed it and said grace quickly, unraveling it. "Did you get this from Hucho's?"

"No, what? Hucho's is like two towns over. I went to Joe's."

"Eh, same thing." He took three quick bites. He was starving and wasn't even tasting the food, just letting it slip down his throat. "This is why I love you so much." He looked over at her.

"Because I bought you a sandwich?" He shook his head, his mouth full. "Then…?"

Ben held up one finger and swallowed. "Because you're my wife and you take care of me. And I appreciate that."

She moved around the table and kissed his cheek. He pulled her down on his lap and put his arms around her waist. "You're not eating," he whispered into her ear.

"I already had something, a little while ago," she told him as she got up and handed him a soda.

"Thank you, baby. You want a piece, don't you?" He picked up the rest of the sandwich and pointed it in her direction.

"A piece of what? It's almost gone, you joke."

"Why didn't you get one?"

"Because I didn't want one!" She said laughing. He put his hands up in concession and continued to eat. When he was nearly done, he pushed his plate back, wiped his mouth and let out a burp. "Ew!"

"Excuse me," he said rolling his eyes dramatically.

They were quiet again. It was peaceful. There were some things he wanted to say, but he didn't want to make a good day weird. "We, um, need to talk, Ben."

"Hey, that's my line." They laughed, but it was true. He was the one who usually initiated their important, hour-long conversations. Ben liked to talk his problems over until he gained clarity, but Miranda could hold onto her issues until she erupted like an undiscovered volcano. "What are we talking about?"

Miranda stood up and walked into the living room. He took a deep breath and followed her. On the sofa, only their knees touched. They both started to speak at the same time. "Y-you go first."

"No, Ben, you go."

He nodded. "Okay." With another breath, he said: "I'm tired of being out of your good graces, Miranda. I-I-I am. And I apologize for what I did. I made a bad call, it was an error, but I feel like I've paid for it. That…we've paid for it. I messed everything up and, for that, I am truly sorry. I'm also sorry that I disappointed you." Ben touched Miranda's hands. He kissed them. "And, basically, I want to get back on track. You are my wife and I love you so much, baby." He moved closer to her and she shrugged him off. "Miranda?"

"I know you are. I know, Ben." Miranda fingered her hair. "I'm sorry, too. It hurt me so badly—all of this." Her head fell back onto the cushion. "And, with you, I couldn't separate the business from the personal. The…"

"Church from the State?" He offered.

Miranda leaned forward and smiled at him. "Yeah. The Church from the State." She played with the necklace around her neck. Ben had given it to her after she'd been named Chief. A white gold and diamond necklace with three, small, overlapping pendants; it had cost him a grip, but had been so worth it. It had all been worth it. She deserved it and so much more. "I was crushed. This whole thing has been a pain in the ass. And I'm over it. I want you back."

"Back where?" He asked, forcing her to be more transparent. "Back in the resident program?"

"Yes," she said.

"Back in your good graces?"

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Back in our bed?" Ben put his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Oh, hell yes!" She said kissing him, hard. "It's been cold in it without you."

"Let's go and see what we can do about that." Miranda took his hand and led him up the stairs. "You're sure?" He asked as he closed the door behind them.

"Shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am." Ben touched the side of Miranda's face and pulled her in, kissing her lips gently. He put his tongue in her mouth. Her hands slipped underneath his shirt touching his abs and reaching up to his chest. He touched the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. His fingers smoothed her bare shoulders and arms. They'd made love so many times and they'd mostly all been great. She was a fantastic lover and she had a touch that made him go wild. But there were a few times that had a great deal of significance for them. Like their very first time making love and after they'd gotten back together after breaking up a few years ago. And when their bodies connected after they'd gotten married. Or the time they'd had sex outside and had nearly gotten caught by their neighbors. This one was going on that list. Their fight, the one they had almost gone to counseling for was finally over. They'd each said what they had to say and listened to the other person and made their peace with the situation, she'd forgiven him and he'd redeemed himself. Now, it was time to celebrate. They'd come a long way. Ben put his face in the nape of her neck, inhaling. She smelled so good, like a flower. The rarest and most beautiful of them all. "You smell good enough to eat."

"Didn't you just eat?"

"I could eat again." Ben took off his shirt and backed her onto the bed. He crawled on top of her, pinning down her arms. Miranda was a total control freak. Everything had to go through her. And he'd admit, she loved when she was in charge, it turned him on more than anything. But he loved being in charge, too; and she also liked it when he took over and became the dominant one. There were no sincere _pleases_ or _thank yous_ while they made love after fighting; just orders being given and taken. Ben lifted up her black skirt.

"Want me to take this off?" She breathed.

"No. Leave it on. For now." He kissed the top of her head and worked his way down to her toes. Moving up a little, he pried her legs open. She gasped loudly. His body ached for hers, his heart was racing and he was throbbing in places that she hadn't touched in weeks. But all he wanted to do was please her. Ben dipped his head between her legs and licked the soft fabric of her panties.

"Oh, God!" She whined holding on to his head.

He reached his hands up and touched her covered breasts pushing her bra up so he could feel her nipples. They stood at attention and he couldn't wait until his mouth could devour them. Her body was a full-course meal and he had to focus—one feast at a time. Ben chewed through her underwear, pushing them out of the way. His first taste of her body was like finding the Holy Grail. Miranda clasped her knees against his head and he nearly exploded. She scratched and beat on his head as he kissed and licked and sucked on her without coming up for air. Deftly, he used his hands and his mouth to please her. Ben gritted his teeth as she moved her body on his fingers as they played inside of her, gently scraping her walls. Miranda pulled him up and knew that she could taste herself on his lips. He was so turned on. "Ready? Ben asked, already knowing the answer. He got off of the bed and kicked off his pajama pants and boxers as she pulled off her bra, skirt and panties. Back on the bed, Ben stroked her hair. Their legs and arms were intertwined, their bodies sparking at every connection. Ben eased into her. He could have burst the second he did, but he'd been waiting for this moment for too long to screw it up. They kept complete eye contact as they made love. This was beyond sex. This was several apologies and trying to make up for months of near celibacy. "How's that feel?"

"Damn… good." His body shook as she tickled his spine. Ben put his arms around her body and rolled them over. "Jesus!"

"You weren't expecting that, were you?" She didn't answer. He pulled her down and kissed her passionately. His lips made their way to her breasts and she moaned as he ate them gently, tasting a bit of sweat and flowers. "Damn, Miranda," he groaned as Miranda rotated her hips on his waist. If he were to die right now, he'd die so happily, so content.

"Sh—it, Ben," she whimpered as she ran her fingers through her hair. He watched her body move on top of him, in control. Miranda knew exactly how to please him; and he relished the fact that he had his ways with her, too. "Ahhh! Mmmm! OhmyGod!" She bounced on him, bringing him to his climax. Ben sat up and kissed her as they orgasmed simultaneously.

"God!" He exclaimed as he kissed her again.

"Don't be blasphemous!" Miranda said biting his chest. He started to soften inside of her.

"Look who's talking." Ben smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead. She rolled off of him and put her head on his chest. "That was great, baby."

"Yes, sir," Miranda responded, pulling the covers up to her chin.

"We should, uh…" He cleared his throat. "We should fight more often." The two of them laughed lazily.

Ben ran his fingers up and down her arms. "Feels good. I've missed that."

"I've missed you," he said into the silence.

"Yeah, you've just missed getting some."

"That, too, of course," he admitted. "But I've missed talking to you and holding you whenever I want." Miranda looked up at him blushing. "Which is all of the time." Ben closed his eyes. His phone rang. By the ringtone, he knew it was Rosalind; he ignored it. "Why'd you come downstairs that night?" He didn't have to remind her, she knew exactly what night he was referring to. "And why'd you let me get into bed with you? You could have kicked me out as soon as I walked in."

She paused. "Because I needed you. I needed my husband," she sighed. "And I just didn't know… I didn't know the direction of our family, Ben," Miranda confessed. "I just had to be sure. And when you got into bed with me, I knew." His heart was beating so swiftly. Ben smiled and lifted her hand, kissing it "Any other questions, Mr. Nosy?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?" She asked playing with his side.

"Why were you crying?" He sat up, making her pout. She poked her lips out and looked up at him. He squinted at her. There were just some things he just couldn't resist and her pouting was one of them. Not only was it annoying, it was adorable as shit and sexy as hell. It was his weakness and she knew it. When she made that face, he wanted to give her anything she asked for, no matter what it was. He had to look away before she made him forget—"So?"

She sighed loudly. "Can we not talk about it?"

"If you were hurting, I want to know," he shot back.

"It had been a tough day. Everything had been… piling up on me. And it felt like I was drowning in paperwork. And problems. And patients. On top of that…" She stopped talking. "On top of all of that, I thought my period was coming and I—" ." Ben laughed loudly. "Shut up! So I was emotional about everything."

"You could have told me."

"So we could have started arguing and yelling?" He shrugged and kissed her cheek before lying back down.

"I'm telling you that you can talk to me about anything no matter how mad we are at each other."

Miranda sighed. "Fine, Ben Warren." She kissed his chest and rolled on top of him. "I have a surprise for you."

"Yes, baby. You know I love surprises," Ben said putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. He felt her shuffle on the bed and grew excited. His thighs tingled with anticipation. He loved the feel of her mouth on him. He waited a minute before realizing that he didn't hear or feel anything. He opened his eyes to see his wife at their dresser. He made a mental note of the shape of her ass as she bent down to pick something up. "What's up? I-I thought I had a surprise coming." He laughed at his own sexual joke. Miranda got back on the bed between his legs, smiling. She showed him something. A thermometer, a tampon? She held it out for him. He took it and turned it over. There were two pink lines. And according to the diagram, two lines in the small window meant—"You're pregnant?"

" _We're_ pregnant!" Miranda said with tears in her eyes.

"We're pregnant?" He asked. He didn't know why he was so confused. Maybe because he'd never said that phrase before. His wife was pregnant.

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

"Pregnant?" He said more to himself than to Miranda.

"Ben?"

"Yes, baby. I—"

"You're happy, aren't you?"

"Of course. I guess I'm just shocked, that's all."

"You don't sound happy." She was pouting again. Ben gritted his teeth as Miranda snatched the pregnancy test out of his hand. "Here I was thinking that you'd be… I don't know… more excited. I thought you'd think this was a good thing." He could hear the concern in her voice and it pulled him out of his confusion.

"I'm sorry, Miranda. I am happy. I am so happy, baby. Th-this is so amazing!" He put his arms around her, squeezing her body. "I love you so much." He smothered her with kisses, making her laugh. "I can't believe we're going to have a baby." A tear fell from Ben's eye. He wasn't a man who cried often, but he never saw any reason to hide his tears, especially now. She kissed his cheek. "When did you find out?"

"Earlier this week," she said. He opened his mouth. How long was she going to keep this from him? Now he was starting to get heated. "Before you get all mad, I was going to tell you yesterday, at the wedding, but you were off saving lives and such."

"Oh that," Ben said as they kissed. Whenever his lips were on his wife's, time seemed to slow down. He smiled into her mouth and took the test out of her hands.

"Yeah, _that_." Ben gasped loudly. "What? What?"

"I know what you're trying to do."

"What?" She scrunched up her face and sat back.

"You're trying to trap me." She burst out laughing. "Yep. And now I bet you want me to marry you, right?" Ben shook his head in faux disbelief.

"Might as well. You're not doing anything anyway." Miranda fell on her back and Ben lay on his, their heads on opposite sides of the bed. He picked up one of her feet and started to massage it. "Mmmm. Thank you, baby."

Ben heard Miranda snoring lightly and moved to her end of the bed and pulled the covers over them. He looked at his wife, even in her sleep, she was making _that_ face. Damn, she was so hot. He kissed her cheek a few times. "Go to sleep, Ben Warren."

"I'm going. I'm going," he said. He turned on his side and touched her stomach. Miranda put her hand on top of his. It was just about perfect. All that was missing was Tuck snuggled between them as he did occasionally. Even at almost ten years old. Ben chuckled silently, not wanting to wake up his pregnant wife. If someone had told him that so many good things were going to happen in the span of 48 hours, he would told them to check themselves into a psych ward. Helping April give birth would have been amazing in and of itself, but performing surgery outside of an OR was a surgeon's dream and he hadn't even been a surgeon at the time! Ben smiled to himself. And his wife had forgiven him and they'd clear so much stuff up between them. It was such a relief and so much weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He turned on his stomach and scratched his head, reaching for the remote they'd knocked to the floor. And the best news of all, he was going to be a father—again. Their family was growing and he had so much work to do. For a split second he remembered the Preminger Grant and was glad that he hadn't applied for it all those months ago. No offense to the other candidates, but he most certainly would have gotten it and instead of being a hero and a soon-to-be dad, he probably would have been across the country, studying medicine. But he'd wanted to be in Seattle with his wife and kid, working and learning alongside the people who meant the most to him. And this is what he got: a good son who was becoming a great young man, a gorgeous and pregnant wife who he loved so much and a career that made him feel like he was making a difference. It was awfully funny the way things worked out. Just when everything seemed against him, it had all turned around and created his beautiful life.


End file.
